My fish and prawn curry came from a Thai friend, and the unusual part is that the white fish goes into the blender with the coconut milk rather than into the pan. It sounds wrong the first time you hear it. What it gives you is a sauce with real body and a deep savoury backbone that you cannot get by poaching fillets in coconut milk, while the prawns go in whole near the end so there is still something to bite on.
Any firm white fish works, so cod, haddock, pollock, coley or basa are all fine, and because the fish is blended rather than served in chunks the cheaper fillets do the job just as well as the expensive ones. It is built on the Thai dish Khanom Jeen Nam Ya (ขนมจีนน้ำยา), which is why it belongs over rice vermicelli noodles rather than rice.
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Pin itWhy the Fish Goes in the Blender
Nearly every fish curry you will find asks you to lower chunks of fillet into the sauce at the last minute and handle them gently so they do not fall apart. This one does the opposite, and it is not a shortcut or a mistake. Blending raw white fish into coconut milk to make the body of the sauce is the foundation of Khanom Jeen Nam Ya, a Thai dish of fish curry sauce ladled over rice vermicelli. My friend makes it that way because that is how it is made.
Three things come out of it. The sauce thickens without flour, cornflour or any other crutch, because the fish protein is doing the work. It gains a savoury depth that curry paste alone never reaches. And the fish cannot overcook or break up, because it stopped being pieces of fish before the pan was even hot. The prawns are then the only thing you have to watch.
It also changes what you should buy. When fish is going to be served in chunks you pay for fillets that hold together. Here you are buying flavour and protein, so a bag of frozen pollock or coley does the job as well as fresh cod, which makes this one of the cheapest ways to put a proper fish curry on the table.
Curry Paste: Shop-Bought or Made Fresh
- A good shop-bought red curry paste Fried off in oil before anything else goes in. This is the weeknight version and there is no shame in it. Fry the paste properly rather than dropping it into liquid, or it keeps a raw edge that follows the whole dish.
- A fresh paste, and the better one Lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, Thai chillies and a little shrimp paste, blitzed together. The full quantities are in the recipe card. It is maybe ten minutes more work and the difference is not subtle: fresh lemongrass and galangal have a bright, almost citrus lift that dies in a jar. If you make it once, make double and freeze half in a bag pressed flat.
For another Thai curry built on shop-bought paste, my Thai yellow chicken curry uses the same fry-the-paste-first principle, and tom yum talay is the sharp, clear-broth counterpart to all this coconut richness.
Why You’ll Love This Fish and Prawn Curry
- It thickens itself. No flour, no cornflour, no reducing it for an hour. The blended fish gives the sauce its body in the first five minutes.
- Cheap fish tastes as good as dear fish. Frozen pollock or coley disappears into the base exactly as well as fresh cod does.
- Two seafoods, one texture problem solved. The fish cannot go rubbery because it is already part of the sauce, so the prawns are the only thing that needs timing.
- It reheats without falling apart, which almost no fish curry does. Keep the prawns out of the batch you are storing and the base is genuinely better the next day.
- The heat is entirely under your control, because it all comes from the paste.
How to Make Thai Fish and Prawn Curry, Step by Step
Full quantities are in the recipe card below. The blending step is the unusual one and the reason this curry has the body it does, so do not skip past it.
- Blitz the curry paste. Lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, chillies, garlic and shrimp paste, blended to a rough paste with a splash of water if it will not catch. Skip this if you are using shop-bought red curry paste. Make double and freeze half in a bag pressed flat.It is the same washing up either way.
- Blend the fish into the coconut milk. Skin the fish and feel it over for bones. Roughly chop it into the blender with half the coconut milk and blend completely smooth, a full minute, scraping the sides down once.The blender will not care about bones, and you will find them at the table. Stop while there are flecks of fish and the sauce comes out grainy, not silky. This is the trick that makes the recipe: the fish dissolves into the base and gives the sauce depth and body you cannot get by poaching fillets in it.
- Fry the paste first. A little oil in a large saucepan or wok over a medium heat, then the paste for a minute or two until it smells aromatic. Nothing wet near it yet.Paste stirred straight into liquid keeps a raw edge however long you simmer it.
- Blended fish mixture in. Pour it onto the fried paste and mix well so the paste is evenly through it.
- The rest of the coconut milk, then a gentle simmer. Stir it in and give it about five minutes, stirring now and then, until it thickens a little. Keep the surface barely moving, and do the same when you reheat it. With shop-bought paste, drop in a couple of kaffir lime leaves now.Coconut milk splits at a rolling boil. The lime leaves add the fragrance a jar cannot quite reach.
- Potatoes and carrots in, covered, for about twenty minutes. Until tender, stirring now and then so nothing catches.The firm vegetables go in well before the seafood, so nothing overcooks while they catch up.
- Prawns next, about five minutes. Until pink and just cooked through. If they came from the freezer, defrost them and pat them properly dry first. Watch them, not the clock.Water clinging to frozen prawns thins the sauce you just spent twenty minutes thickening. Overdone, they turn rubbery straight away.
- Fold the spinach in right before serving.The heat left in the pan wilts it without cooking it away.
- Taste and adjust. The fish sauce, a good squeeze of lime, and salt if it needs it. Add the lime off the heat, taste, and add more if it still feels heavy. If the curry is too thick, loosen it with a splash of water.The lime is not a garnish. Coconut, fish and paste all pull in the same rich direction, and the acid stops the bowl tasting flat.
- Coriander over the top if you like it, and serve warm. Rice vermicelli noodles alongside give a good texture contrast to the creamy sauce.
Equipment You Will Need
Recipe Card for Thai Style Fish & Prawn Curry
Thai Style Fish & Prawn Curry
A Thai friend's fish and prawn curry, built on Khanom Jeen Nam Ya. The white fish is blended into the coconut milk to make the base, which thickens the sauce without flour and gives it a savoury depth you cannot get by poaching fillets. Prawns go in whole near the end, with potatoes, spinach and rice noodles. Cod, haddock, pollock or coley all work.
Equipment I Use
Ingredients
Instructions
Blend the lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, chillies, garlic and shrimp paste to a rough paste, adding a splash of water if it will not catch. Skip this step entirely if you are using shop-bought red curry paste.
Put the roughly chopped white fish into a blender with half the coconut milk and blend completely smooth. Give it a full minute and scrape the sides down once. Any flecks of fish left behind read as stringy bits in the finished sauce.
Heat a little oil in a large saucepan or wok over a medium heat. Add the curry paste and fry for a minute or two until it smells fragrant. Do not skip this: paste stirred straight into liquid keeps a raw edge no matter how long you simmer it afterwards.
Pour the blended fish and coconut mixture onto the fried paste and stir well so the paste is evenly through it.
Stir in the rest of the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until it thickens slightly. Keep it at a lazy simmer rather than a boil, because coconut milk splits at a rolling boil.
Add the diced potatoes and sliced carrots to the simmering sauce. Cover and let it simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
Once the vegetables are cooked, add the king prawns to the curry. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the prawns are pink and fully cooked. Be cautious not to overcook them.
Fold in a handful of fresh spinach right before you’re ready to serve. The residual heat will wilt the spinach without overcooking it.
Taste and adjust. Add the fish sauce, a good squeeze of lime and salt if it needs it. The lime is the one that matters, as it cuts the richness of the coconut and wakes the whole pan up. If the curry has gone too thick, loosen it with a splash of water.
Pile the drained rice vermicelli into warm bowls and ladle the curry over. Scatter with fresh coriander and chilli flakes, add a wedge of lime, and put the sweet chilli paste on the table.
Chef’s notes
- Do not let it boil. Coconut milk splits at a rolling boil, and this is the single most common thing people get wrong, both while cooking it and when reheating leftovers. Hold it at a lazy simmer where the surface only just moves.
- Blend the fish completely smooth. Flecks of fish left in the base read as stringy bits in the finished sauce rather than as pieces of fish. Give it a full minute and scrape the sides down once.
- Storing and freezing. The base keeps two days in the fridge and freezes for up to three months, because the fish is part of the sauce rather than added in pieces. Leave the prawns out of anything you are storing and cook them fresh into the reheated sauce, as they are the only part that turns tough on a second heating.
Nutrition per serving
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
- Store the base without the prawns. The fish is part of the sauce here rather than something added at the end, so the base freezes and reheats beautifully. Prawns are what suffer, so hold them back and cook them fresh into whatever you reheat.
- Fridge, up to two days, cooled quickly and covered. The flavour is arguably better on day two once the paste has settled into the coconut.
- Freezer, up to three months. Freeze the base in portions, flat in bags. Defrost overnight in the fridge rather than in the microwave, which is where splitting usually happens.
- Reheat gently. Low heat, stirring, never boiling. If it looks separated, take it off the heat and stir in a spoon of fresh coconut milk, which usually brings it back.
- Do not freeze the finished curry with prawns in it. They go tough and grainy on the second thaw, which is the reason people say fish curry does not freeze. The sauce is not the problem.
- Cook the noodles fresh. Rice vermicelli takes three minutes and turns to paste if it sits in the fridge in sauce.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Prawns - swap in scallops, mussels or sliced squid; if you use mussels, hold back a splash of liquid as they release their own as they open.
- Lemongrass - use frozen lemongrass paste if you can’t find fresh stalks, or leave it out and add a little lime zest for a similar citrus note.
- Potatoes and carrot - they are what make this a filling one-pot supper. For something closer to a traditional nam ya, leave them out and stir in green beans, sliced red pepper or drained bamboo shoots for the last five minutes instead.
- Galangal - sharp and piney with a citrus edge, and not the same thing as ginger, which is hot and sweet. Frozen or a jar of galangal paste both work. If you cannot get any of them, reach for a shop-bought Thai curry paste rather than swapping ginger in.
- Full-fat coconut milk - light coconut milk works but gives a thinner, less rich sauce, so I stir in a spoon of coconut cream to bring back the body.
What to Serve With Thai Fish & Prawn Curry
🍽 Serve it over rice vermicelli. That is what nam ya is eaten with in Thailand, the noodles soak up a thin coconut sauce far better than rice does, and it is why there are 240 g of them in the recipe card. Soak or boil them while the curry simmers, drain, and pile them into warm bowls before you ladle over. Jasmine rice does work if that is what you have in, though you will notice the sauce sitting on top of it rather than running through. Finish either with fresh coriander, chilli flakes and a wedge of lime, and put the sweet chilli paste on the table for anyone who wants it. A sharp herb salad on the side earns its place against a rich coconut sauce.
FAQ for Thai Style Fish & Prawn Curry
What fish works best?
Cod, haddock, pollock, coley or basa, or honestly whatever firm white fish is reasonable at the counter that day. Here is the useful part: because the fish is blended into the base rather than poached in chunks, it never has to hold its shape, so there is no reason to pay for premium fillets. A bag of frozen pollock works as well as fresh cod. Skin it and check it for bones before it goes in the blender. Avoid oily fish such as salmon or mackerel, which are too strong for this sauce.
Can I use frozen seafood?
Yes. Defrost and pat it dry first so it does not water down the sauce.
How do I stop the seafood overcooking?
Only the prawns need watching. The fish is blended into the sauce at the very start and cooks through as the curry simmers, so it cannot toughen or break up on you, which is one of the quiet advantages of doing it this way. Prawns are the delicate part: five minutes is plenty and they are ready the moment they turn pink and curl. Take the pan off the heat rather than leaving it ticking over while you drain the noodles.
What do you serve with Thai fish curry?
Rice vermicelli, which is what nam ya is served with in Thailand and what the recipe card allows for. A thin coconut sauce runs through noodles instead of sitting on top of rice. Jasmine rice still works if that is what you have in. Either way, finish with fresh coriander, chilli flakes and a wedge of lime.
Can I make this curry ahead of time or freeze it?
Yes, and it stores better than most fish curries. Because the fish is blended into the base rather than added at the end, you can make the whole sauce, cool it and keep it two days in the fridge or up to three months in the freezer. Leave the prawns and the spinach out of the batch you are storing and add them fresh when you reheat, since prawns are the only part that turns tough on a second heating. Reheat gently and never let it boil, or the coconut milk will split.
How spicy is this curry, and can I adjust the heat?
As written it sits at a gentle mild-to-medium, which is where most people seem happiest. The heat lives almost entirely in the red curry paste, so simply add less for little ones or spoon in more, or a sliced fresh chilli, if you like it fierce. A little extra coconut milk is also the quickest way to calm a curry that has run away from you. Or make the paste yourself: my Thai curry paste builder does a red one.
Can I add vegetables to bulk it out?
Absolutely, and I often do. Peppers, sugar snap or mangetout, broccoli, baby spinach, green beans or bok choy all belong here. Add the firmer vegetables with the aromatics so they soften in the sauce, and stir the tender leaves through at the very end alongside the seafood.
Why did my coconut sauce split, and how do I stop it?
Coconut milk splits when it is pushed to a hard, rolling boil, which is the single most common thing I hear people trip over. Keep the pan at a gentle simmer once the coconut milk goes in, and never let it boil hard, especially when reheating leftovers. If it does separate a little, a good stir and a splash of fresh coconut milk off the heat usually brings it back together.
Can I make it with just prawns, or just fish?
Just fish, yes. Leave the prawns out, use 500 g of white fish instead of 300 g, and blend about two thirds of it into the coconut milk while you cut the rest into large chunks to drop in for the last four minutes. You get the same sauce with pieces to find in it.
Just prawns is the harder one, and it is worth knowing why before you try it. In this recipe the fish is not an ingredient sitting in the sauce, it is the sauce, and taking it out leaves you with coconut milk and curry paste that will stay thin however long you simmer it. If you want a prawn-only curry, either blend 200 g of white fish in anyway and simply add no fish chunks, or accept a looser sauce and thicken it with a teaspoon of cornflour slaked in cold water. Doubling the prawns does not fix it, because prawns give out water rather than body.
The fish goes in raw and blended. Is it properly cooked?
Yes, and by a wide margin. Blended fish is spread through the whole pan in tiny particles rather than sitting in a thick fillet, so it comes up to temperature almost immediately, and it then simmers for a further twenty five minutes while the potatoes and carrots cook. Long before the prawns go in, the fish has been held well above 75C for far longer than any food safety guidance asks for.
The step that catches people out is the opposite one. It is the prawns that need watching, because they are the only thing in the pan added late and eaten within minutes.
Pin it- Paella with Prawns & Chorizo - another big one-pan prawn dish, for when you want rice rather than noodles.
- Seafood Spring Rolls with Soy & Chilli Sauce - a crisp starter to put in front of it.
- Thai Chicken Massaman Curry - richer, sweeter and slower, and chicken rather than seafood.
- 5 Shrimp and Prawn Recipes - more prawn dinners in one place, from creole to paella.
A Few Words from the Chef
This recipe is not mine. It came from a Thai friend, and the first time she told me the fish goes in the blender I assumed I had misheard her. I had spent years lowering fillets into curry sauce at the last possible second and hoping they held together. Her way, the fish becomes the sauce, and the whole problem simply stops existing. I have cooked it her way ever since, and the only thing I have changed is using whatever white fish is sensibly priced that week, which she told me was fine anyway.
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